How To Have A Spa Day At Home

There is a reason your mum always puts ‘spa day’ at the top of her Christmas/birthday/Mother’s Day list. Yes, you cleanse. Yes you moisturise. Yes, you shave. But occasionally, it’s worth taking the time to slough off your scaly outer layers, to indulge in indulgence. Unfortunately, there’s also a reason you swerve her request and opt for a basket of bath bombs.

Relaxing as a spa day is, the sense of calm evaporates when you discover how much it costs. But you can cut out the soft-fingered middlewomen and fashion the same new you at home. Lock the bathroom door and dedicate Sunday morning to number one.

-10 Minutes

Before you start, put a gel eye mask in the freezer. This version from The Body Shop is best served cold, to soothe the skin around your eyes and reduce puffiness. You’ll especially appreciate it if hayfever (or the night before) mean the man in the mirror needs some red eye reduction.

0 Minutes

Let your shower run hot for 10 minutes to steam up the bathroom and open your pores. Then, apply a brightening face mask to exfoliate and revive skin. “The right face mask is the fastest way to improve the state of your complexion,” says Steven O’Neill from The Grooming Clinic.

This version from Kiehl’s hones in on the benefits of turmeric as an antioxidant, while exfoliating cranberry seeds scrub off your skin’s tired outer layer to reveal the fresh stuff below.

60 Minutes

Body sorted, it’s time to head upstairs. Before moisturising, prep the ground with a serum, says O’Neill. “It gives your skin an antioxidant treatment that will improve radiance and support the skin’s natural ability to deal with free-radicals and pollutants.”

65 Minutes

Once the serum is dry, it’s time for heavy irrigation. “Glycerin is the best option as it locks in moisture and is less likely to irritate the skin,” says Wade.

This Triumph & Disaster moisturiser combines vitamin E, jojoba and glycerin to condition and moisturise your skin and stop a heavy week imprinting itself permanently. Just make sure you book another appointment for next Sunday.